HEALTHCARE SYSTEM REFORM
Health Affairs Blog Highlights The SLIHCQ Database
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor August 22, 2019
Hot off the press: Health Affairs Blog post The State Of State Legislation Addressing Health Care Costs And Quality highlights The State Laws Impacting Healthcare Cost (SLIHCQ) Database established by The Source on Healthcare Price and Competition and Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR). The Source Executive Editor Jaime King and CPR Director Suzanne Delbanco discuss key approaches states are taking to develop high-quality, affordable health care, including transparency laws, payment reform and benefit design laws, laws that encourage provider competition, and laws that govern oversight and regulation of costs. Check …
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The Source Roundup: August 2019 Edition
Source Fellow August 1, 2019
By: Hayden Soria, Student Fellow Happy August! Even as the summer winds down, there is no waning of health policy literature. In this month’s Source Roundup, we take a look at academic articles and studies that analyze 1) potential prescription drug savings from generics and biosimilars, 2) the need for price transparency, and 4) a multitude of efforts in health system reform. Potential Prescription Drug Savings from Generics and Biosimilars As prescription drug pricing continue to capture the nation’s attention, Stacie B. Dusetzina et al. take a dive into cost …
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From Wall Street to Academia
Gary Ko July 25, 2019
“Wall Street Perspective” is an op-ed column which provides economic perspectives on issues facing the U.S. health care system. This column serves as a public forum for general discussion of health system reform and invites our readers to share their opinions and thoughts, particularly on topics of healthcare economics and corporate finance. “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” – Andy Warhol I still vividly remember the night when the idea of actively affecting change in healthcare first struck me. November 8th, 2016, election night. …
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The Source Roundup: July 2019 Edition
Source Fellow July 1, 2019
By: Hayden Soria, Student Fellow Happy July! Hope everyone is staying cool in the summer heat. In this month’s Source Roundup, we take a dive into academic articles and studies that look at 1) healthcare system reform on a national and state level 2) health care markets concentration and competition, and 3) developing trends in prescription drug pricing. Healthcare System Reform Ever since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation nine years ago, it has become one of the most polarizing topics in American political culture, spawning debates both in support …
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California Budget Watch 2019 (Part 2 of 4): Compromise! Five Quick Insights into AB 74 – The Legislature’s Budget Act of 2019
Sammy Chang, Health Policy Researcher June 24, 2019
On June 13, using the Governor’s May Revise as a starting point, the Assembly and Senate adopted AB 74, the Budget Act of 2019, and sent it to the Governor. This bill provides in detail the Legislature’s compromise of the proposals from the Assembly, Senate, and the Governor. While this bill only provides the appropriation and not the full language of implementation, the proposed budget provides a great preview for what health reforms are in store for California. To better digest specifics of this budget compromise, we’ll break this down …
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The Lower Health Care Costs Act: A Bipartisan Federal Effort to Improve Competition in Healthcare Markets
Katie Gudiksen, Senior Health Policy Researcher June 21, 2019
The Lower Health Care Costs Act, released in May 2019 by Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray, addresses many inefficiencies in healthcare markets and has the potential to both increase competition and lower costs for healthcare services. The 195-page draft federal bill, also known as the Alexander-Murray Bill (S 1895), contains more than three dozen provisions designed to address health care costs. The bill is divided into five titles: 1) Ending Surprise Medical Bills, 2) Reducing the Prices of Prescription Drugs, 3) Improving Transparency in Health Care, 4) Improving Public …
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The Source Roundup: June 2019 Edition
Source Fellow June 3, 2019
By: Hayden Soria, Student Fellow Happy June! Summer is just around the corner and healthcare policy discussion is heating up. In this month’s Source Roundup, we highlight academic articles and studies that look at 1) the high costs of employer-sponsored insurance, 2) how much private insurers are paying hospitals compared to Medicare, and 3) implications of single payer system reform. Increasing Employer-based Insurance Costs Present Difficulties to Many Americans In the last twelve years, annual deductibles in employer-based health plans have sky-rocketed and now average more than $1,300 annually. A …
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California Budget Watch 2019 (Part 1 of 4): Governor Newsom’s May Revise Ups the Ante to Increase Healthcare Coverage and Affordability
Sammy Chang, Health Policy Researcher May 31, 2019
It’s budget season, and this month kick-starts the discussion on whether California should re-implement the individual mandate, how much Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies should be increased, and whether Medi-Cal should be expanded to undocumented young adults and seniors. Back in January, Governor Newsom went quickly to work upon his inauguration, signing executive orders and sending a letter to Congress and President Trump. With his May Revise, we will examine, in three parts, the specifics of the Governor’s proposals, how the proposals have evolved, and the studies that evaluate those …
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State Progress Toward a Healthcare Public Option: The State of Washington is the Trailblazer
Katie Gudiksen, Senior Health Policy Researcher May 9, 2019
*Update: On May 13, 2019, Governor Jay Inslee signed SB 5526 into law making Washington the first state public option plan. Washington now takes the first difficult steps toward implementing the law. In the current political climate, debate continues at the state and federal level over the role of government in containing health care costs and ensuring coverage for all Americans. Specifically, in a survey done in March 2019 by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a majority of Americans (56%) supported a national health plan.[1] Little consensus, however, exists on how …
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Better Data for Better Results: AB 1122’s Super User Pilot Project and Other 2019 Bills That Improve Health Care Transparency
Sammy Chang, Health Policy Researcher April 30, 2019
As California continues its implementation of an all-payer claims database, we take a look at other bills the Legislature introduced to further the aim of better understanding the factors and activities that drive health care costs and quality. SB 343 subjects the Kaiser Permanente system to the same reporting requirements as other plans and hospitals. SB 612 and AB 929 mandate public disclosure of cost reduction and quality improvement activities. Additionally, AB 1122 proposes a pilot project that utilizes existing data sets to identify a new data set: high health …
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